Life after life: Recidivism among individuals formerly sentenced to mandatory juvenile life without parole.

IF 4.6 2区 心理学 Q1 FAMILY STUDIES
Colleen Sbeglia, Cortney Simmons, Grace Icenogle, Marsha Levick, Monica Peniche, Jordan Beardslee, Elizabeth Cauffman
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引用次数: 0

Abstract

In Miller v. Alabama (2012), the Supreme Court abolished mandatory juvenile life without parole (JLWOP) sentences and subsequently decided that the ruling applied retroactively (Montgomery v. Louisiana, 2016), effectively rendering thousands of inmates eligible for resentencing and potential release from prison. In its decisions, the Court cited developmental science, noting that youth, by virtue of their transient immaturity, are less culpable and more amenable to rehabilitation relative to their adult counterparts. Specifically, the Court notes adolescents' propensity for impulsive action, sensitivity to social influence, and difficulty understanding long-term consequences. Even so, these rulings raised concerns regarding the consequences of releasing prisoners who had committed heinous crimes as juveniles. Several years after the Court's decision, preliminary data are now available to shed light on rates of recidivism among those released. The current paper comprises three goals. First, we discuss the science of adolescent development and how it intersects with legal practice, contextualizing the Court's decision. Second, we present recidivism data from a sample of individuals formerly sentenced to JLWOP in Pennsylvania who were resentenced and released under Miller and Montgomery (N = 287). Results indicate that 15 individuals received new criminal charges up to 7 years postrelease (5.2%), the majority of which were nonviolent offenses. This low rate of recidivism is consistent with the developmental science documenting compromised decision-making during the adolescent years, followed by desistance from criminal behavior in adulthood. Lastly, we discuss the importance of interdisciplinary collaborations between researchers and legal practitioners, as well as critical future avenues of research in this area.

生活之后的生活:曾被判处无假释强制性少年无期徒刑的人的累犯。
在 "米勒诉阿拉巴马州案"(2012 年)中,最高法院废除了少年无假释终身监禁(JLWOP)的强制性判决,并随后裁定该判决具有追溯力("蒙哥马利诉路易斯安那州案",2016 年),这实际上使数千名囚犯有资格重新判刑并有可能获释出狱。在判决中,法院引用了发展科学,指出青少年因其暂时的不成熟,相对于成年罪犯来说,罪责较轻,更容易改过自新。法院特别指出,青少年容易冲动行事,对社会影响敏感,难以理解长期后果。即便如此,这些裁决还是引起了人们对释放在少年时期犯下滔天罪行的囚犯的后果的担忧。在法院做出裁决数年后,现在已有初步数据可以说明被释放者的再犯率。本文包括三个目标。首先,我们讨论了青少年发展科学及其与法律实践的交集,并介绍了法院判决的背景。其次,我们提供了宾夕法尼亚州曾被判处 JLWOP 的人的累犯数据,这些人在米勒和蒙哥马利案中被重新判刑并释放(N = 287)。结果显示,有 15 人在释放后 7 年内又受到新的刑事指控(5.2%),其中大部分是非暴力犯罪。这一低重犯率与发展科学中关于青少年时期决策能力受损,成年后不再从事犯罪行为的记载相吻合。最后,我们讨论了研究人员和法律从业人员之间跨学科合作的重要性,以及该领域未来研究的重要途径。
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来源期刊
CiteScore
6.90
自引率
8.30%
发文量
97
期刊介绍: Multidisciplinary and international in scope, the Journal of Research on Adolescence (JRA) significantly advances knowledge in the field of adolescent research. Employing a diverse array of methodologies, this compelling journal publishes original research and integrative reviews of the highest level of scholarship. Featured studies include both quantitative and qualitative methodologies applied to cognitive, physical, emotional, and social development and behavior. Articles pertinent to the variety of developmental patterns inherent throughout adolescence are featured, including cross-national and cross-cultural studies. Attention is given to normative patterns of behavior as well as individual differences rooted in personal or social and cultural factors.
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